Jim McElwain was the MAC Coach of the Year in 2019, a year he helped Central Michigan reach the conference championship game.
But since then, the Chippewas have enjoyed just one winning season, and that won’t change this year. McElwain announced this week he’s retiring and will be a special assistant to the athletic director at CMU.
“Coach McElwain and his wife Karen have meant so much to the Central Michigan community,” CMU athletic director Amy Folan said in a press release. “He has brought pride and excitement to Mount Pleasant and our football program and we look forward to his contributions to the department in other ways in the years ahead. We are grateful for his service and mentorship to our student-athletes. We wish both Jim and Karen the very best in their well-deserved retirement from coaching and we are glad that they will continue to help us.”
That means CMU will need a new head coach in 2025. Here are some names to watch out for.
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Illinois Defensive Backs Coach Corey Parker
Parker is a Power Four assistant with knowledge of the MAC and the region.
Parker is in his first season coaching defensive backs at Illinois. The Fighting Illini are 32nd in the FBS in terms of scoring defense with 20.6 points per game allowed.
Before this, he was a cornerbacks coach at Toledo from 2022-23. And his most notable accomplishment there was coaching Quinyon Mitchell, who was the clear No. 1 NFL prospect from the Group of Five. He was drafted in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Parker was also a high school head coach in the state of Michigan at River Rouge High School. The team was 113-34 and won a state title during Parker’s tenure.
Parker would make sense for CMU for several reasons.
Kansas State Assistant Head Coach Van Malone
Malone hasn’t been a head coach at the collegiate level yet, but he has a good amount of experience as a coordinator and positions coach at several FBS programs.
Malone, who is also a defensive passing game coordinator and a cornerbacks coach, has been at Kansas State since 2019. Last year, the Wildcats were 18th in passing efficiency defense (118.63) and were 10th in the country with 16 interceptions the season before. Several K-State defensive backs have earned All-Big 12 accolades during Malone’s tenure.
Previously, Malone was a defensive quality control coach at Mississippi State (2018) and a defensive coordinator at SMU (2015-17). He also worked with defensive backs at Oklahoma State (2012-14), Tulsa (2010-11), Texas A&M (2006-09), North Texas (2005), and Western Michigan (2004). He was a wide receivers coach at North Dakota State in 2003, so he has worked with both sides of the ball. He also coached special teams at Western Michigan and North Texas.
Malone has the experience needed to be a great candidate.
Indiana Defensive Coordinator Bryant Haines
Haines followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana, and he has been stellar as the Hoosiers’ DC thus far.
Going into Week 13, Indiana is in the top 10 in the FBS in terms of scoring defense (13.8 points allowed per game) and total defense (255.5 yards per game allowed).
Before his current job, he was instrumental in JMU’s transition to the Sun Belt. He was promoted to DC and linebackers coach after three years as a co-defensive coordinator.
In just their first season as an FBS program, the Dukes allowed the eighth-fewest yards per game in the country with 290.2 while allowing just 20.9 points per game. They were also top 10 in rushing defense, tackles for loss per game, first downs allowed, sacks per game, third-down defense, and fumble recoveries.
In 2023, JMU was in the top 20 in the FBS with 19.5 points per game allowed and the top 30 in the country with 333.8 yards per game allowed.
Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock
Denbrock would make a ton of sense for CMU if he were interested.
Denbrock has coached in the region for years. He’s worked with offensive linemen, tight ends, and wide receivers over the years at Notre Dame, but he’s also coached at a variety of other schools as well. He was LSU’s OC and tight ends coach before this from 2022-23, and was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Cincinnati from 2017-21.
Denbrock hasn’t been a head coach at the collegiate level, but he has been an associate head coach, including at Notre Dame from 2015-16 and at Indiana State in 2009.
Denbrock’s name has come up plenty of times when it comes to college football hot seats and potential head coaching hires this season. If he were open to taking a G5 head coaching job, Central Michigan would be a good fit.
Washington State Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle
Arbuckle is only in his second season as Washington State’s OC and quarterbacks coach. But he’s made an impact quickly.
This year, WSU is top 10 in the country with 461.6 yards per game and 38.9 points per game. A season ago, the Cougars were in the top 40 in the country in terms of scoring offense with 31.7 points per game and total offense with 421.7 yards per game. Cameron Ward, WSU’s QB in 2023, was in the top 10 in the FBS with 3,735 passing yards and top 20 with 25 touchdowns.
Before WSU, Arbuckle was a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Western Kentucky. In 2022, the Hilltoppers were in the top 15 in the nation with yards per game (497.3) and points per game (36.4) as quarterback Austin Reed led the country with 4,746 yards and was third with 40 touchdowns.
Idaho Head Coach Jason Eck
Eck is one of the top head coaches in the FCS.
Eck is in his third season as Idaho’s head coach. The Vandals went 7-4 during the regular season in 2022, earning a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2016, and were 9-4 last year as they reached the FCS quarterfinals. At 8-3 overall, they are once again one of the best programs in the FCS this season.
Before that, he was the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State from 2019-21 and the team’s offensive line coach from 2016-19. Going back to 2000, he’s also been an assistant at Montana State, Minnesota State-Mankato, Western Illinois, Hampton, Ball State, Winona State, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
Eck has proven he can take a program to the next level and is the exact type of coach Central Michigan would want.
